Middle Grade Monday: Air by Monica Roe

Image: Macmillan

Air by Monica Roe. Unabridged downloadable audiobook, ~5 hours. Read by Sandy Rustin. Recorded Books/ Macmillan, March, 2022. Review of audiobook borrowed from public library.

Happy Monday! We've had quite the run of spectacular weather here in northeastern New Jersey. I survived my first full week of classes with students and am so-o tired! 

Middle Grade Monday features Air by Monica Roe. Twelve-year-old Emelyn, "Emmie," has the need for speed. Being in a wheelchair doesn't slow her down, it's accessibility issues that hamper her ability to get around, especially at school. When a trick goes wrong thanks to a rickety ramp at school and she gets scraped up, her hovering and cautious school principal calls her father in for a meeting to re-evaluate Emmie's IEP. Her mom used to take care of that and would fight fiercely for Emmie's independence, but her dad, who works several jobs and also goes to night school, acquiesces and Emmie finds herself with a one-on-one aide.

This first-person novel is at turns hilarious and thought-provoking as spunky Emmie goes toe-to-toe with her new principal and the aide she doesn't want/ need.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim

Image: Penguin Random House

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~ 13 hours. Narrated by Mirai. Books on Tape/ Listening Library, August, 2023. Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.

Happy Tuesday! It looks like it'll be another beautiful day here in northern NJ. It'll be slightly hotter and not as breezy, but I hope you enjoy the day and get outdoors in nature today. Teen Tuesday features Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim. Two sisters, Channi and Vanna, are devoted to one another, but in their village, Vanna is adored and Channi is reviled. 

When Vanna was born and their mother lay dying, their father took Channi to the Demon Witch as a sacrifice. The king of the serpents saved Channi's life, but the Demon Witch cursed her with a snake face. The only way to break the curse is for Channi to bring Vanna to the Demon Witch before her seventeenth birthday, which Channi will not do. As Vanna's birthday approaches, their father, intent on enriching himself, has a contest for possible suitors to win her hand. When the cruelest, most vile suitor wins, Channi intervenes, challenges the man's champion, and when she beats him, she finds the man's attention is now drawn to her.

This layered and rich epic fantasy unfolds slowly. The world-building is vivid and based on Chinese folklore. Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to the Legends of Lor'yan duology, and, while it does stand alone, knowledge of the duology does enhance enjoyment of the prequel.

New-to-me narrator, Mirai has a wide range of convincing voices for the many characters and her performance was utterly engaging. 

Middle Grade Monday: Break by Kayla Miller

Image: HarperCollins Publishers.

Break by Kayla Miller. Click series #6. 224 p. Clarion Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, January, 2024. 9780358414229. Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.

Well, Readers, it has been another minute since I posted, and I am sorry. I have been in a bit of a reading slump. Reading slumps can stem from a variety of reasons. Sometimes, you just can't find the right book. Sometimes, you're just too busy doing other things. And sometimes, like me, it is health issues that affect your ability for focus. Whatever the case, it's important to be kind to yourself. You will find your next favorite book.

Middle Grade Monday features Break by Kayla Miller. This is the sixth book in the popular "Click" series. While Break can be read as a stand-alone, fans of the series have been following Olive's growth and will appreciate what she has accomplished here.

Olive is looking forward to spending her spring break doing all kinds of activities with her friends, from binging movies to marathon sleepovers. All of her plans are dashed when she learns that she and her brother, Goober will be spending break in the city with her dad, who recently moved back from New Zealand. Olive has not yet forgiven her dad for leaving the family and moving halfway across the world, so her feelings are complicated. Goober, of course, is all-in.

As in all of Ms. Miller's graphic novels, she creates relateable characters with relateable problems. The palette is muted yet colorful and there's an energy about the art that keeps readers engaged. Utterly charming.

Middle Grade Monday (a day late): The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett. 336 p. Clarion Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, June, 2023. 9780063256552. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Tuesday! I posted this book talk yesterday and forgot to crosspost it here! Summer break is turning my brain to mush! Middle Grade Monday features The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett. I usually pick books to read (and buy for the library) based on reviews and word-of-mouth on social media, but sometimes, I just go into a book blindly. For some reason, I chose to read this without much pre-knowledge. I just kept seeing it popping up on social media. Man, did this book blindside me! This might be my favorite middle grade book of the year for the sheer ingenuity of the plot and the utterly endearing characters, especially our narrator, Kemi, who is a science nerd obsessed with probability.

I've spent the last half hour deciding whether or not to add more to this uncharacteristically short book talk and decided to leave it short. Discover it for yourself. Hand it to your readers who love sad. I usually end my book talks on my school's learning platform with, "Happy reading!" I didn't yesterday. This is not a happy read. It's a gut-punch; but it's exquisite. 

Middle Grade Monday: The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla.  336 p. Quill Tree Books/ HarperCollins Publisher, July 11, 2023. 9780063268814. (Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  It's the penultimate Monday of the school year for me and I am ready for the break. Middle Grade Monday features The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGuin by Sally J. Pla. Thirteen-year-old Maudie always looks forward to summers because she spends them with her dad in his cabin in California. She's autistic and he accepts her the way she is and doesn't belittle her the way her mom and now, her new step-father do. Almost immediately, her dad senses something is not right and asks Maudie if she's okay. Maudie is not okay, but has been sworn to secrecy by her mother. Then comes the wildfire. Maudie and her dad have to evacuate the cabin. They head down the coast to her dad's hometown. Her dad's best friend runs a trailer park and puts them up in a trailer while her dad tries to find work. Maudie spends her days at the beach getting up the courage to ask local surf legend, Etta for lessons. She wants to win the beginners surf contest at the end-of-summer bash. There's prize money and it might be enough to help her dad and maybe stay with him instead of returning to Texas.

This first-person novel unfolds quietly as Maudie copes with her traumas. Short chapters with poems interspersed throughout reflect Maudie's thoughtful insights. They also ratchet up tension as she gradually reveals the secret she carries. Readers will root for Maudie as she gains confidence, learns to surf and makes friends. Other characters are equally endearing and wonderfully supportive of Maudie. 

The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn releases on July 11. I adored this book. Put it on your radar. It would be a great SEL title and perfect for any school, classroom or public library. 

Middle Grade Monday: Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas. 240 p. HarperAlley/ HarperCollins Publishers, May, 2022. 9780063056763.

Happy Monday! Our students have off for the MLK weekend, but we teachers have PD. Middle Grade Monday features Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas.  Middle schooler Bree isn't too upset to move from Brooklyn to Florida with her single-parent dad. He has been offered a better job. She's even looking forward to starting a new school, hoping to get into an interesting math elective. When all the electives she wants are full and the only one that's available is Swim 101, she freaks. Bree has never learned to swim and she's afraid of the water. So she finds ways to cut the class until her father is notified. After a near-drowning incident at her apartment complex, an older neighbor, Etta, agrees to coach Bree. Bree is filled with anxiety and self-doubt and these thoughts appear in blobby gray thought bubbles that crowd the otherwise vibrant and sunny panel art. This graphic novel educates as well as entertains. Readers will root for Bree.

Swim Team is the author/ illustrator's middle grade debut. It was long listed for the National Book Award, was a Kirkus Best Book and also won a Harvey Award. It won't sit long on the shelf. Highly recommended!

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Epic Story of Every Living Thing by Deb Caletti

Image: Penguin Random House

The Epic Story of Every Living Thing by Deb Caletti. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~13 hours. Read by Brittany Pressley. Books on Tape/ Listening Library, September, 2022. 9780593611654. (Review of e-audiobook downloaded from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features The Epic Story of Every Living Thing by Deb Caletti. Seventeen-year-old Harper Proulx is an anxiety-ridden perfectionist. She is the only child of a single mom who is a college professor and has high expectations of Harper academically and socially. Living through the pandamic quarantined with her mom has only worsened her anxiety. She finds validation with the likes by her many followers on Instagram, where she carefully curates her life. When a follower comments that she looks just like a friend, Harper has to agree, because they both have striking green eyes and auburn hair. The two meet and Harper learns that they share the same sperm donor and that Dario has discovered more half-siblings. Dozens more, in fact. They connect with two more half-siblings, Simone and Wyatt. They do some sleuthing and track their donor dad to Hawai'i, where he runs a surf school and Wyatt's parents own a condo. Though terrified to defy her mother, Harper does so and flies to Hawai'i to discover herself.

Journal entries from the 1800s begin each chapter and readers may wonder about the relevance, but they are beautifully tied together in what is an epic journey of self-discovery on two levels. I also appreciated how the author depicted Harper's anxious obsession with presenting a perfect hash tagged life. Her lack of being present led to her losing her boyfriend, Ezra, whom she treated as little more than a cameraman. The narrator also did a wonderful job of bringing that to life with her almost staccato delivery. Harper starts out a bit self-centered and unlikable, but her growth is believable. A recommended coming-of-age story!

(My one quibble has to do with the prevailing traits shared by most of the offspring - green eyes and auburn hair. These are recessive genes and I found it a bit of a stretch. Teens may pick up on it. I know I knew about recessive and dominant genes from about seventh grade on.)

Middle Grade Monday: Shine on Luz Véliz by Rebecca Balcarcel

Image: Chronicle Books

Shine on Luz Véliz! by Rebecca Balcarcel. 276 p. Chronicle Books, March, 2022. 9781797209678. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Middle Grade Monday features Shine on Luz Véliz! by Rebecca Balcarcel. Luz is a sixth grader who is struggling now that she has been sidelined after an injury on the soccer field. She had always been a star and loved having her dad as a coach. Now that she can't play, maybe forever, she senses a coldness from him. She's also stuck in a soccer elective at school which makes missing soccer even worse. One morning, she passes a robotics class and is intrigued by the hum of activity. She learns that she can switch her morning elective, but has to take an intro class first before joining that class. The problem? It's held at the elementary school! Will Luz put her pride aside to pursue a new interest?

This fast-paced story features well-rounded characters and authentic tween dynamics. Luz is sympathetic and relatable as she navigates her post-soccer world and deals with the revelation of a family secret.

Shine On Luz Véliz is a terrific addition to any library. Happy reading and happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

Middle Grade Monday: The Hope of Elephants by Amanda Rawson Hill

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The Hope of Elephants by Amanda Rawson Hill. 476 p. Charlesbridge, September 6. 2022. 9781623342597. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

It's the penultimate Monday of my students' summer break! I'm back with my colleagues for two days of PD on Thursday. Tick tock, tick tock. Counting down to the end of summer. 

Middle Grade Monday features The Hope of Elephants by Amanda Rawson Hill. This first-person verse novel is narrated by Cass, whose father has been battling cancer all of her life. She was only one when he received his first cancer diagnosis. Then, each odd year of her life, he was diagnosed with a different kind of cancer and now, on the last day of her eleventh year, she finds out the cancer is back. But, Cass senses that her parents, who have been very open with her, are now keeping something from her.

They are. The reason why her dad has such bad luck with cancer is that he has a genetic mutation, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, where half the sufferers develop cancer before the age of forty. Cass has a 50/ 50 chance of having the mutation and of developing breast cancer before she's thirty. Now, not only is she dealing with her dad's recurrence, she has to decide whether to have her blood tested for the mutation. Does she want to know? What is the value in knowing? So she makes lists of pros and cons. While she deals with this, she's also dealing with wanting to continue playing baseball (doing so puts her dad at risk for infection), trying to find comfort in her faith, and her homeschooling assignments, which involves visiting an elephant at a nearby zoo, with whom Cass bonds.

My how I loved this book! Not only is the cover absolutely perfect and perfectly gorgeous, but I found the voice immediately compelling. Readers will get to know Cass through powerful free-verse poems that feature strong emotions and intense imagery. Don't miss reading the informative Author Note at the end. 

Tell your readers who love verse novels and sad novels to make sure to add The Hope of Elephants to their tbr (to be read) list. The book releases on September 6. Happy book birthday! Happy reading!

Picture Book Review: Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast by David Ezra Stein

Image: Candlewick Press

Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast by David Ezra Stein. unpgd. Candlewick Press, November, 2021. 9781536207781. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Chicken is back, up way too early on a Saturday morning and hungry for cookies for breakfast. Papa just wants to sleep in, but perks up when Chicken announces that she has brought him breakfast in bed! It's cookies. Cookies are not breakfast food!

Denied her wish, Chicken presses for her second wish, to snuggle in Papa's bed and be read a book. Can our irrepressible, interrupting Chicken manage not to interrupt Papa's reading?

   "Papa be nimble, Papa be quick, Papa read to your little chick."

    "That's what I'm planning to do," said Papa.    

    "Well, don't let me stop you," said the little red chicken.

As fans of Interrupting Chicken and Interrupting Chicken: the Elephant of Surprise know, story time with Chicken can be...challenging. True to form, Chicken interrupts every other fairy tale to suggest cookies. So. Much. Fun!

The illustrations continue to delight and surprise. Scenes in Papa and Chicken's cozy house are textured and filled with warm colors and sweet details, like a stuffed elephant on the floor of the kitchen. Scenes from the book of nursery rhymes are washed out pastel hues, except where Chicken bursts on the scene with her edited rhymes. 

Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast is a must-purchase for all libraries serving young readers. Sure to be a story time hit.

Middle Grade Monday: Stef Soto, Taco Queen

Image: LBYR

Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres. 176 p. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, January, 2017. 9780316306867. (Own)

Happy Monday! We were gifted yet another crisp fall weekend to get out and enjoy. I hope you had a great one. Middle Grade Monday features Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres. This charming novel was published in 2017 and was Ms. Torres' debut. I reviewed it for School Library Journal back then and so, it hasn't appeared in any Daily Book Talk here.

Estefania "Stef" Soto is a seventh grader who wants what any seventh grader wants, to fit in and have friends, and also to ride the bus to school. However, her over-protective, immigrant parents say no and thus, her papi picks her up each day in Tia Perla, his beat-up taco truck. She spends weekday afternoons with him doing homework at his truck while Mami works evenings as a cashier. She tries not to feel jealous when things come so easily to her friends, especially her former friend, Julia. But then a city ordinance changes regarding food trucks and the Soto's financial situation may not be certain.

Readers who enjoy family and school drama and relatable characters will cheer for Stef Soto.

Middle Grade Monday: The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling

Image: Little, Brown and Company

The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~3 hours, 5 minutes. Read by Casey Holloway. Hachette Audio, September, 2020. 9781549134456. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Happy Labor Day! I hope you've been enjoying your holiday weekend! Middle Grade Monday features The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling. A number of my students are fans of the author's debut, Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus and its sequel, Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus. The Canyon's Edge is very different. It's written in verse with sections of prose. The mostly present tense stream of consciousness and use of flashbacks are very effective in setting the mood and instilling tension.

Nora and her father head out to the Sonoran Desert to celebrate her birthday with a hike and climb into a slot canyon. Nora's father chose this celebration to be far away from civilization and danger, because a year earlier, the family were celebrating at a restaurant when a man dressed in cammo entered and began shooting, killing Nora's mother and wounding her father. Both are grieving, suffering from PTSD and have withdrawn from the world. Nora has been homeschooled, but is ready to return.

Unfortunately, the desert also contains danger. They are hiking in the slot canyon when a flash flood roars through. Nora's father pushes her up to safety, but is swept away by the strong current. Nora is left alone with no supplies and many decisions to make. Does she attempt to climb out of the slot and find their car? If so, what then? They were parked in the middle of the desert. Does she climb back down into the slot and follow the trail hoping to find her father? Luckily for Nora, she's an experienced hiker/ climber. Even without equipment, she knows to look out for danger, such as snakes and scorpions and, worst of all, another flash flood.

The audiobook was effectively performed, but I think I should've read this one with my eyes to appreciate the various breaks and poetry forms. 

The Sonoran Desert setting is vivid and tension runs high throughout this intense, edge-of-your-seat survival adventure that you won't want to miss.

Middle Grade Monday Audio Review: Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

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Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~8 hours, 12 minutes. Read by Bethan Rose Young. Recorded Books, October, 2020. 978190085461. (Review of downloadable audio borrowed from public library.)

Happy Monday! Only two more Mondays left in our school year after today! Middle Grade Monday features Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce. Myrtle Hardcastle is a smart and spunky twelve-year-old who lives with her lawyer father and governess in Swinburne, England. She has a keen and curious mind and full access to all her father's law books and her dead mother's microscope. Her governess, Miss Judson, encourages her curiosity, but also reminds Myrtle that she is also training to be a Young Lady of Quality. Young Ladies of Quality don't spy on their neighbors. Myrtle calls it observing. When she notices that her unpleasant neighbor, Miss Wodehouse wasn't up and about for her morning routine, Myrtle calls the constabulary, who find the old woman dead in her bathtub. The death is ruled to be of natural causes, but Myrtle isn't so sure and launches her own investigation.

This intriguing whodunit will have you guessing. It's set in the Victorian Era and Myrtle constantly struggles with her drive to learn and the constraints on women and girls at the time. She's a spunky, endearing main character surrounded by a cast of colorful secondary characters. It's a long book and the vocabulary is fairly difficult, but if you love a good mystery and have outgrown the mild, middle grade stuff, Myrtle's your gal!

I just adored the audiobook energetically narrated by a new-to-me narrator. Perfectly paced and energetic. The voice made me love Myrtle even more. 

Premeditated Myrtle is book one of the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series. It was published last year and won an Edgar Award in the children's book category. If you enjoy it, move right on to book two, Premeditated Myrtle as I did! I can't wait for #3, Cold Blooded Myrtle, due out in October.. 

Fact Friday: The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectation by Aisholpan Nurgaiv

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The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectation by Aisholpan Nurgaiv with Liz Welch. 208 p. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, May, 2020. 9780316522619. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fact Friday features The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectation by Aisholpan Nurgaiv with Liz Welch. 

In 2014, Aisholpan Nurgaiv became the first girl to win a competition of eagle hunters in Mongolia. Eagle hunting is traditionally done by men, but Aisholpan's father thought she was a natural and encouraged her interest. Her quest to compete was the subject of a documentary, released in 2016, also called The Eagle Huntress. 

Her memoir is conversational. She speaks of stories of her birth and the dream her grandmother had just prior to it. She talks of how her father trained her to handle his eagle and how she set about trapping and capturing her own eaglet. She also shares how it felt to travel to the US for the premier of the award-winning documentary featuring her. Plentiful photographs give readers a visual sense of the Steppe where her nomadic family have lived for generations. 

The Eagle Huntress is engaging and accessible to young readers - a great addition to your library's memoir collection.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~ 5 hours, 33 minutes. Read by the author and Melania Luisa Marte. Quill Tree Books, May, 2020. 9780063011816. (Review of e-audio downloaded from the public library.) 

Teen Tuesday may ring a bell to followers of The Daily Booktalk. I featured it last spring when I reviewed the arc. I recently learned that the author was one of the two narrators of the audiobook and decided to reread the book with my ears since I am such a fan of her narrations, not just of her poetry, but also of prose books, such as Pride by Ibi Zoboi.

This verse novel is a dual narrative. Yahaira lives in New York City with her papi and mami. Until the previous year, she was a chess champion. She stopped playing abruptly when she discovered Papi's secret. She's stubborn and fierce.

Camino lives in the Dominican Republic with her tia. Her mother died ten years ago and her father only visits from June to September. He pays for her private school, but she'd really like for him to bring her to the United States so that she can pursue her dreams of attending Columbia University as a pre-med. These are dashed forever when she learns that he has been killed in a plane crash while en route to the DR. 

Two girls, one father, one secret exposed. 

This intense read comes to brilliant life in the hands of the narrators who play their respective roles to a T. I already knew what was going to happen and still was completely enthralled. Read Clap When You Land with your eyes or with your ears. Just read it. 

The Odyssey Committee agrees. Clap When You Land garnered an Odyssey Honor yesterday morning. 

Teen Tuesday and Arc Review: The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg

Image: Scholastic

The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg. 400 p. Scholastic Inc. September 1, 2020. 9781338325034. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Teen Tuesday wishes a happy book birthday to The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg. This uniquely structured book will not be everyone's cup of tea, but it addresses important issues that many teens face - bullying, isolation, depression and suicide. Two New York City teens in crisis go to the George Washington Bridge with the intention of jumping. Both are suffering from severe depression and both have recently suffered humiliation.

Aaron is lonely largely due to self-isolation. He has dreams of becoming an internet sensation with his singing and songwriting. He may or may not be much good. His parents are divorced. His mom is largely absent but his dad is attentive and worried about him. Tillie is bullied relentlessly at school about her weight. She was adopted from Korea when her parents learned they couldn't have biological children. She remembers a time when she felt her father loved her, but since her "miracle" sister was born, she feels isolated and unloved by him.

There are four possible scenarios on the GWB and the author explores them all in four parts. In part one, Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't. In part two, Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't. In part three, they both jump and in the final part, neither jumps and they form a tentative friendship. The psychic pain each teen is suffering is exquisitely portrayed as is the aftermath of each choice on the survivors.

Make no mistake, this is a very difficult read. But it's an important one. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among fifteen to twenty-four-year-olds. Back matter contains information about depression and mental health along with resources.

Mature teens who read The Bridge might find themselves more empathetic to others and learn to lean towards kindness and compassion instead of cruelty. Adults may be less apt to write off teens having difficulty coping as "teen angst."

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

Image: Penguin Random House

The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead. Unabridged -audiobook. ~ 297 minutes. Read by Rachel L. Jacobs. Listening Library, April, 2020. 9780593155370. (Review of e-audiobook downloaded from public library.)

Middle Grade Monday features The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead. This sweet, character-driven novel is told in the first person by twelve-year-old Bea. When her parents divorced, they presented her with a notebook filled with a list of things that will not change in Bea's life, then committed to remaining amicable as they co-parented Bea. Now Bea's dad is remarrying and she's thrilled because, not only does she love Jesse, she will finally have a sister! Jesse has a daughter who lives in California. 

Not all is smooth sailing though. Bea struggles with anxiety and has a bit of a temper. She's working through these issues with a supportive therapist. When she finally meets Jesse's daughter, she finds that Sonia is less-than-thrilled to share her father with Bea, especially since Bea gets to live with him. 

Conversational and engaging, this novel quietly entrances. Ms. Stead excels at creating thoughtful tween characters. New-to-me narrator Rachel L. Jacobs' performance was well-paced. She has a youthful voice and embodied Bea's quixotic personality beautifully. 

The List of Things That Will Not Change belongs in all library collections. Stead's many fans will clamor for it.

Teen Tuesday: Overturned by Lamar Giles

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Overturned by Lamar Giles. 346 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., March, 2017.9780545812504. 

Teen Tuesday features Overturned by Lamar Giles. All Nikki Tate wants is to save enough money to leave Las Vegas, the casinos and her dad, who is on death row for a murder he claims he didn't commit. Whatever. New evidence suddenly emerges that clears her father and suddenly he is back in her life. Just as suddenly, he is murdered and Nikki, who is a card sharp finds herself drawn into the hunt for his murderer. Compelling and suspenseful, fans of mystery and detective stories will eat this up. 

Teen Tuesday: The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~12 hours. Narrated by Rebecca Soler. Balzer + Bray/ HarperCollins Publishers, June, 2019. 9780062938640. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen. Seventeen-year-old Emma Saylor Payne barely remembers her mother, who died when she was ten. While she has a good relationship with her dentist father, he's tightlipped about her mother except to acknowledge her addictions and how they contributed to their marriage failing as well as her death. It also probably contributes to her tendency toward anxiety and perfect behavior. Otherwise, she knows nothing and none of the relatives on her mother's side. All that changes when her father remarries and his plans for Emma to stay with a friend for the three weeks of their honeymoon fall through. She is sent to North Lake to stay with her grandmother and her extended family. 

North Lake is a resort community divided by class—a rich country club resort on one side of the lake and more modest hotels on the other. Emma's mom came from the poorer side. Emma's dad from the other. Her relatives are all strangers to her, but they seem to know all about her and definitely know a ton about her mom.

As with any Sarah Dessen book, the pace is quite leisurely and the reader really gets to know the characters. Her heroines tend to be exceedingly self-deprecating, nice, anxious and over-analytical. In other words, at once relatable and annoying. She and her characters are like that perfect friend you have that occasionally drives you to mad, jealous, petty tirades that ultimately make you feel guilty because they are just so nice. My teen self would've eaten this up and asked for more. My old-as-dirt self gets a bit impatient. Still, teen fans of Dessen's will eat this breezy, leisurely novel up and ask for more.

Audiobook Review: How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox

Image: Penguin Random House

How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~10 hours. Read by Candace Moll. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House, May, 2019. 9781984885562. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library. Arc courtesy of publisher.)

Seventeen-year-old Biz has a close relationship with her dad. She loves it when he sits at the foot of her bed and tells her stories about when she was born and her early childhood. The problem is that Biz's father died when she was seven. She lives with her mum and six-year-old twin brother and sister in Wollongong, Australia. 

She's indifferent about school. She has a best friend in Grace, whom she kissed, but Grace doesn't "like her like that." The two are nominally part of "The Posse," but more orbiting than central. There's a new boy named Jasper whom Biz finds intriguing though he doesn't seem to like her much. But then, he rescues her from the sea when she ventures out too far one night while partying in the dunes with her posse. 

Later, there is an incident in the dunes involving Tim, and Biz and Grace find themselves ostracized. Grace and Biz make some questionable choices and Grace is packed off to live far away with her father. The worst part is that Biz's dad stops visiting. So she goes in search of him. She thinks that if she visits the places where he was happy, she will find him.

I failed absolutely in my attempt to summarize this utterly devastating yet beautiful debut! How It Feels to Float is one of the best books depicting grief and mental illness I have ever read. Knock, knock! Morris Committee, Printz Committee? Are you listening? Oh, and Odyssey Committee! The audiobook is astounding. Candace Moll's performance is pitch perfect. 

Biz charms and compels from the start, but as the reader is drawn in, cracks begin in her facade and one begins to wonder if this is a work of magical realism. Then one wonders what is real besides her dad's ghost. Make no mistake, this is a harrowing read. Biz lives with a loving family, her siblings adore her and her mother is involved; but even she can't discern the depth of Biz's mental illness. She makes increasingly dangerous choices in her desperate quest to find her father. My heart was in my throat for much of the book. The resolution was hopefully realistic. No neat tidying up here. 

How It Feels to Float should be on everyone's to-read list. It's themes are a bit mature for my crowd at middle school, but it is a first-purchase for all high school and YA library collections.